


8 Times Everyone Cared for Wild's Hair & The 1 Time He Did Himself

by Aethernight



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Character Study, Fluff, For a Friend, I'm so Sorry my Bois, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Wild and Sky Angst, headcanons, this was supposed to be short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-19 07:47:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22407691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aethernight/pseuds/Aethernight
Summary: Wild was just as different from the others as any of them were from each other. But none of them had his long, full locks. With hair like that, it can be quite a hassle.A series of events of everyone in the group helping out Wild's hair, and healing him in the process.
Relationships: Wild (Linked Universe) & Everyone
Comments: 8
Kudos: 362





	8 Times Everyone Cared for Wild's Hair & The 1 Time He Did Himself

**Author's Note:**

> I got this idea from my lovely, oh so wonderful, absolutely amazing and genuinely awesome friend miphass on Instagram and because I’m a sucker for Wild’s long hair I wanted to tackle this idea! This was supposed to be a 1000 word one shot what happened.

Wild had been missing for the past fifteen minutes. That was fifteen minutes too many for Twilight. 

What made him even more nervous about the Champion was that Hyrule was with the rest of the group. It had almost become more reassuring when the two were off together. The traveler was relaxing after a sparring match with Legend, unaware that Wild was gone. 

In fact, Twilight seemed to be the only one concerned. Sky was peacefully napping while Four polished his sword. Wind told a ghost story to Warriors, who smiled at the younger’s enthusiasm. Legend engaged in combat with Time, the two exchanging blows as their swords clashed. 

The ranchhand couldn’t stand it anymore. He walked over to Hyrule and told him he was going to look for Wild. The brunette frowned and moved to get up. 

“I’ll come with you. Wild doesn’t usually go off alone. I wonder what h-”

“Oh no no no! You’re stayin’ here. I can’t afford to have another hero lost in the woods. Plus, ya should rest up. I’ll be back wit’ Wild in a jiffy.”

Hyrule grumbled but sat back down. Satisfied, Twilight headed out into the surrounding forest. He knew that shifting would make the search easier, but he was too tired to change forms. Plus, the sound of struggling from the bottom of a hill was plenty loud without wolf ears. 

Twilight sighed and pushed branches out of his face as he made his way down to Wild. The flora of this forest was nearly impossible to trek through without running into the greenery. It looked like that was the exact problem the teen encountered as Twilight saw Wild’s situation. 

The champion grunted in frustration as he pulled on the branches above him that had tangled his hair into the tree like a bird’s nest. His attempts only made more golden strands join the clump stuck in the wood. 

Wild smiled when he saw Twilight and pointed to his hair. “Hey, Twilight! You think you can give me a hand here?”

Twilight rubbed his temples and asked Wild how he had ended up in this situation. The teen blushed and looked away. 

“I was running low on fish and frogs so I thought I’d go find a lake and stock up. I got enough, but on the way back I tripped and when I got up my hair was all tangled in this tree. You gotta help me get out, this hurts so much!”

“Of course I’ll cut ya lose. This is so like you to get trapped by branches, cub.” 

“Oh, make fun of me later. Just free my poor scalp!” Wild looked at his mentor with big puppy eyes as Twilight pulled out his hunting knife. He walked over the tree and raised the blade over a section of Wild’s locks. 

Before he lowered the knife, Wild’s hand shot out and grabbed Twilight’s tunic. He had a confused and frantic look plastered on his face as he screamed, “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING!?!? Don’t cut my hair!! Just cut the branches!”

Twilight blinked and processed what his protege said. “Wait, so ya wanna keep them twigs in yer hair?” 

Wild rolled his eyes in response. “I’ll get those out when we get back to the others. But I don’t want to cut my hair. It actually takes a long time to grow, and I like this look! It’s pretty but still gremlin enough, you know!”

Twilight did not know. But he agreed to chop off just the branches. Wild calmed down and held still as Twi’s knife sliced through the wood. 

Soon, Wild’s locks were released from the tree’s grasp. “Freedom!! Oh, my poor hair, you’re safe now.” The teen grinned and thanked Twilight. 

The country boy returned the smile and nudged his shoulder. “Let’s get back to camp. It’s almost time fer dinner an’ the others are lookin’ forward to fish pie!”

Wild grinned even wider and started running back to the other. “Nine pies, coming right up! Race you there, wolf boy!”

Twilight couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of Wild’s hair as he ran. The small branches bumped into each other as he moved, like a very strange windchime. He had no idea how the younger hero was going to get the twigs untangled, or if Wild even had the patience to take them all out. 

The rest of the group was lounging around when the two boys arrived. Hyrule was the first to notice and waved as they got closer. “Hey, Wild! I’m glad you’re not lost. I wanted to go help look for you, but Twilight was a sourpuss and said no.”

“If you had gone looking it would’ve taken all night. Farmboy did you a favor, ‘Rule.” Legend smirked at Hyrule’s offended gasp. 

Warrior chuckled before his eyes landed on Wild’s hair. “Uh, what happened there?” 

“I accidentally got stuck in a tree so Twilight cut all the braches. I’ll fix it after dinner. Food comes first.”

Warrior’s face went through the five stages of grief before he released a deep sigh. “Alright, but if I find bark in my food I’m buying you a cap.”

Wild promised that his meal would be wood free. With that, he pulled out his ingredients and got cooking. 

Twilight laughed again at his protege’s locks. The hero would always help out Wild, but that kid got into the weirdest situations. 

~  
~  
~

Swimming was not the smallest hero’s strongest suit. Wind had been determined to teach him, but Four didn’t enjoy practicing in such a cold lake. 

The heroes had wanted to take a break and take a dip but the waters were way too frigid. Almost everyone had hopped out after a few minutes. 

Four busied himself with drying off. He was especially vulnerable to the cold compared to everyone else. The smith was definitely sleeping close to the fire tonight. 

He started wringing out his short hair when he heard swears from behind. Four turned and saw Wild pulling at his hair tie, trying to yank it out with no success. 

The champion was the only one still swimming; with his Zora armor and ruby circlet on the battle the cold. Everyone else was drying off or making a fire to warm up. 

Four huffed and walked up to the shore of the lake. “Hey, Wild, you okay there?”

Wild saw the blacksmith and pouted. “No, I’m not alright, Four. My hair keeps getting in my face because it’s coming loose. I was going to take out my hairband and put in a new pony, but it’s completely stuck in there!”

Wild flopped into the water with a frustrated, “ugh,” before breaking the surface to lock eyes with Four. “Do you think you could get it out for me? Just don’t c-”

“Don’t cut your hair. I know, I know. Don’t worry, I won’t. I’m sure I can pry it out. Can you come up to shore? I really don’t want to get wet again.”

Wild obliged and sat on the beach. Four hummed as he pried the outer strands out of the tie, slowly working his way to the little knots in Wild’s hair. The band was definitely stuck in there, with tens of clumps tied to it.

Four tried to be as gentle as he could as he pulled apart the knots. He didn’t have a good brush for tangles so he would have to make do with his hands. 

The small teen got to one particularly big clump of hair. His little fingers did make it a bit easier, but the hair refused to move. Having no other choice, he pulled on the snag. 

Wild jumped and squealed in pain. Four grimaced at his reaction and apologized. Wild gave the other a pained smile and replied, “it’s alright. It’s my own fault for not brushing my hair more.”

Four frowned and got back to work. “It’s not your fault. There’s no time for things like self-care when the fate of Hyrule rests on your shoulders. Things like this happen.”

Four grinned devilishly and whispered to Wild. “Don’t tell anyone, but once I saw Warriors popping a zit. He was going on about it like it was the end of the world!”

Wild covered his mouth to conceal his laughter. Four chuckled and combed his fingers through Wild’s ponytail. Though his hair was wet, Four could tell the champion’s hair had a nice volume and semi-smooth texture. The short hero’s own locks were a bit thin and dry, but that never bugged him much. It made it easier to wash off after a long day at the armory. 

With a final tug, Wild’s hair tie came loose. His wet locks fanned out over his back like golden feathers. Four handed the band to Wild, whose eyes shone with thankfulness. 

“You’re a lifesaver, Four! Thanks a million!” Wild gathered up his locks and tired them back into a neat and tight ponytail, very different from the low one he always had. 

“Anytime, Wild. Just don’t get me wet!” With that, Four jumped back as Wild flopped into the water. The champion laughed as he glided through the lake, smiling like there wasn’t a care in the world. 

~  
~  
~

“Sh*t, these guys are tough!”

“You don’t need to tell me that!”

Legend huffed and dodged a jab from an oncoming blin. The group had been separated due to a surprise monster attack. Legend was stuck with Wild, but the two heroes had no cooperation in their attacks whatsoever. 

Legend sliced the blin across the throat before delivering the fatal blow. He spun around when he heard sounds of struggling. 

Wild was occupied with a larger blin with a mace. But the champion had his massive bone club, which would usually make any monster easy pickings for the teen. The weapon was bigger than Wild, making Legend chuckle despite the situation. 

The veteran hero noticed movement behind Wild a moment too late. Before Legend could draw his bow or shout a warning, a blin sliced Wild on the back of the neck. 

The teen fell to the group in a heap, motionless. The two monsters eyed up Legend with bloodlust in their stares. 

Legend looked at the body of his comrade and grit his teeth. In one swift motion, he  
pulled out both his ice rod and extra fire rod. He spun both weapons and showered the blins in ice and flames. The monsters shrieked in agony as their skin burned and froze. 

In a matter of seconds, the creatures were withering heaps on the group. Rage filled Legend to the core as he gripped his sword. He drove the blade straight into the skulls of both monsters, panting heavily. 

With the blins dead, he ran to Wild, throwing his weapon down and grabbing his medicine bag. The scarred hero was still unmoving, but what was most concerning was the slash on the back of his neck bleeding freely. 

Legend swore under his breath. He checked Wild’s pulse and sighed in relief when he found it was still strong. But he knew that time was running out. 

Legend reached for his needle and thread when Wild groaned. The teen’s face scrunched up in pain as his hand reached for the back of his neck. 

“Hey, no touching. That was way too close, flamebrain. I’m gonna stitch you up so hold still.” 

Wild obliged and remained frozen, aside from a few twitches of pain as Legend stitched him closed. When the wound was shut the veteran hero grabbed a red potion and soaked a bandage in it. He carefully wrapped up the injury and nodded at his work, confident that Wild would be fine. 

“You can get up now, Wild. Just be careful not to pull the stitches. We only have so many supplies.”

Wild grunted to confirm that he heard Legend, but his eyes were distant. He scanned the small forest clearing and crawled to a rock. He grabbed something long and wispy in his hands. 

Legend furrowed his brow and asked Wild what he had. The champion didn’t look at him when he responded, “my hair.”

Sure enough, Wild’s long locks swayed in his hands. The strands still remained in their hair tie, the ends coated in droplets of blood. 

Wild’s neck was completely exposed, as his hair now ended at his nape. Seeing so much of Wild’s back was not something Legend was used to. But he wondered what Wild would think of his new look. 

The blue-tunic clad teen ran his finger over the locks in his hands before sliding his hand through the short hair on his head. He remained completely silent, which just unnerved Legend. 

He walked over to Wild and leaned over him. “What’s wrong now? I’m sure we can fix up the rest of your hair at the camp if it upsets you that much…”

Legend trailed off when he saw silent tears rolling down Wild’s checks. The younger hero’s lips trembled, but he didn’t make a sound. 

The veteran didn’t know why Wild was so upset, but he also knew it sucked to cry in front of someone. So he sat in front of Wild and looked him right in the eye. 

“Wild, do you want to tell me why you’re crying?” Wild didn’t utter a peep, but he locked onto Legend’s gaze. The scarred hero wiped off his face with the back of his hand and took a shuddering breath. 

Legend prepared himself for an explanation, but Wild still remained quiet. The apprentice blacksmith was a little irritated but decided maybe he should drop the subject. He started to stand when a hand snatched his wrist. 

Wild looked at him with the most vulnerable expression Legend had ever seen. “W-wait, I c-c-can ex-explain. Jus-just, I-I-I, no no no…”

Wild stuttered as his breathing sped up. Legend could tell he was on the verge of panic. He sat back down and gently rubbed Wild’s unscarred arm. He wasn’t very good at comforting others, but he wouldn’t leave one of his companions alone in a time of stress. 

Wild looked back at Legend and filtered the cut strands through his fingers. His breathing had calmed enough to speak, yet the sadness in his voice was evident. 

“I-I really like having long hair. I know it’s probably not the most practical, but I don’t mind it. My hair takes a really long time to grow. Actually, it was about that long when I woke up. When I learned about Him, well, he wore his hair long too, but not like I do. I-if I look at myself, I-I’m gonna see Him.”

Legend frowned. He had a vague idea that “Him” was Wild before the Calamity. The veteran understood that the champion was insecure about who he once was, and his doubts only seemed to get worse the more he remembered. 

Legend sighed and removed his arm and put it over the other hero’s shoulder. Wild looked at him with wet eyes and lips parted in question. 

“So what if you look like Him? You’re still who you chose to be. Do you chose to shield surf on dangerous mountains?”

Wild looked confused but nodded. Legend took that as a good sign and continued. 

“Do you try to play fetch with Wolfie even though he refuses?”

Wild softly snorted and nodded again. 

“Do you take pictures at the worst times?”

“Hey, action shots are hard to get!”

Legend used his free hand to gesture to all of Wild. “See? You’re you. Wild. You decide what kind of person you want to be. Just make sure that you’re happy with him.”

Carefully, Wild leaned into Legend’s touch until his head rested on the shorter hero’s shoulder. “Thank you, Legend. I’m sure I’ll find something to fix my hair. Do you think Hyrule could heal it?”

Legend stood and shrugged. “I dunno, but it’s worth asking him. Let’s go join the others and rest.” He held out a hand for Wild, who took it gratefully. 

As they walked back, Legend noticed just how short Wild’s hair really was. The cut was choppy and uneven, and much shorter than Four’s own do. 

But the more he thought about it, Legend could see it working for Wild if they couldn’t fix it. The other hero noticed him staring and flinched. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Wild quirked an eyebrow in Legend’s direction but the veteran waved him off. 

“I was just thinking, if we layer the back a bit, this might actually work for you! I mean, I’m betting you wouldn’t want to cut any more hair, but I think it would suit you.”

A faint blush spread across the teen’s face. Wild scratched the back of his head and asked, “you really think so?”

“If we do it right, I know so! And if I’m wrong you can have one of my weapons for a full day.’

Wild’s eyes brightened at the offer and he sped up. “Well, what are we doing? You can finally give me that trim you mentioned!”

Legend laughed at the other’s antics and chased after him. He knew that life was a bitter b*tch, but when something bad like this happened, Legend knew how much it hurt. And he’d be damned if he didn’t help his friends. 

That night, Wild had short hair for the first time in over a hundred years. Legend couldn’t help but smile at the carefree, happy look on the champion’s face. His little group of brothers was crazy, but they were his family. 

~  
~  
~

The captain was jealous. Somehow, by a cruel twist of fate by Hylia, almost everyone else in the group had good hair. And not just good, but PERFECT hair. 

It had taken Warrior’s years to get fluffy and wavy hair. He even decided to discard his cap because the sweat made his locks greasy. His trusty pack of brushes and hair products kept his hair clean, but it definitely was a hassle. 

Twilight had the smoothest, fluffiest locks. Which shouldn’t be allowed since he was just a simple farm boy. 

Sky’s was easy to manage and despite the amount of sleep he got, never once had he woken up with bedhead. 

Wind’s was light and flowed in the breeze. The salt never seemed to both him, either. Instead, the ocean waters made his curls even softer. 

Hyrule’s wavy curls bounced and were fluffier than a Cucco chick. That was unbelievable because Warrior rarely saw him wash up. Perhaps he used magic to keep his locks perfect. 

Sure, Four had thin and dry hair, but it never got tangled or dirty. Maybe he had a secret shampoo for blacksmiths?

Time’s hair was kind of coarse, but it never caused the leader hero any hassle. 

Legend’s hair easily got messed up, but it was smooth and that pink streak would make him popular with the girls. Warrior just knew it. 

But Wild. Wild’s hair should be full of tangles and dirt and plants. And it was. But it was still smooth and had a nice volume. 

This was downright unfair. It had taken years for Warrior to find a routine that would work for him. Yet nobody else ever struggled like he did. 

But today he was getting to the bottom of this. Warrior was going to interrogate each and every one of his fellow heroes until he found a perfect solution for his hair. 

His first victim: Wild. The long-haired hero was currently washing his climbing gear, which was muddied from the last rainstorm. Wild was oblivious to the world and flinched when he heard Warrior’s, “hey.”

“Ack! Warrior, don’t scare me like that!” Wild swatted the captain’s arm but the taller hero just laughed. 

“I wasn’t even that loud. You need to be more alert! Anyway, I had a question for you.”

Wild tilted his head in curiosity. “Okay then. Do you need something?”

“What I need, is to know how you keep your hair so smooth! Even when it’s dirty it still has volume! How do you do it?”

Wild blinked before giggling. “That’s what you want to know? I thought your hair was easy to manage?”

Warrior kicked the dirt with a pout on his face. “NO! It’s always dry and I have split ends! Please, I’m begging you, tell me how you get your hair so beautiful!”

Wild hung is clothes to dry, thinking. “Honestly, I’m not even sure myself. My hair gets tangled in just about everything, but I do wash it out when I get the chance.”

“And how often is that?” Warrior grimaced, for he feared the answer. 

Wild causally shrugged the other boy off. “I don’t know, every other week? I don’t pay attention much.”

The captain took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking. “You don’t… pay attention… to how often… you wash your hair?” 

Right then and there Warrior was willing to change his endeavor to helping Wild making a hair care routine, but he had to focus on his own goals first. 

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “There must be something you do with your hair so it’s not always a wreck! You gotta give me something, Wild! I’m begging you!”

The champion hummed and sent the other a pitiful look. “You really do want my advice, huh? There’s one thing I do that might help you out.”

Warrior clasped his hands together like he was about to pray. “Oh, thank you, Wild!! Bless you and all your future generations!”

Wild pointed to his hair tie before explaining his nightly routine. “Sometimes I’ll sleep with my hair in a bun. And in the morning my hair looks fuller!”

The tip sounded reasonable enough, but Warrior pointed to his scalp. “Look, I’m sure that works for you, but my hair isn’t anywhere long enough to do that! Do you have any other tips?”

The teen shrugged apologetically. “Sorry, but there aren’t any others I can think of. Hopefully one of the others will have some advice!” 

Warrior slumped and began to sulk away when he remembered a concerning bit his friend mentioned. “Wild, I have to go get you something. And I need you to make me a promise.”

The boy in question gathered his drying clothes and replied, “yeah? What do you need now?”

The captain ran off back towards the camp. Ignoring the others, he sifted through his belongings until he found a little bottle full of peach gel. Warrior rushed back to Wild, who still had a confused look on his face. 

The taller hero held out his pinkie, something his little sisters always did when they made a pact. “Promise me that you’ll wash your hair every other day from now on. And you need to use this shampoo as well. It gets rid of extra dirt and buildup on your skin. I don’t think I could fight alongside you in battle if you keep ignoring your scalp!”

Wild frowned at Warrior but held out his own pinkie. The two shook on it and Warrior felt a weight leave his shoulders. 

True to his word, Warrior caught the champion washing his hair with the shampoo every time the boys managed to sneak in a bath. In a couple of weeks, Wild’s hair had become unbelievably soft and stayed cleaner. This made Warrior happier, but he still struggled to get his own hair perfect. At least one more hero got clean scalp. 

~  
~  
~

The scent of soup wafted through the small island cottage. The day was quiet and peaceful, a blessed break from the constant fighting last week. 

Each of the heroes has busied himself around the island. Time was helping with the pigs, Four was handing out the mail, Legend went to go train in the Forest of Fairies, Warrior rested on the beach, and Hyrule, Sky, and Twilight entertained Aryll and Wind. 

The little girl asked her brother to go get the champion. Wind nodded and raced off towards his house. But instead of opening the door, he snuck around the side of the house and listened in on his Grandma and Wild. 

The amnesiac was in the kitchen helping with the dinner preparations. Grandma, who demanded all the boys call her such, was making Wind’s favorite soup for dinner. The sailor had tried to help Wild recreate it, but Wind said it just couldn’t be made like hers. 

“Ya know, Link always talks about you boys in his letters. I’m so glad he has all of you looking after him.” 

Wind grumbled under his breath. He was embarrassed that Grandma was still talking about him like a kid, but she was old so she probably couldn’t help it. 

“I’m happy he’s able to stay in touch. He talks about you and Aryll a lot too!” The almost teenager could hear the smile in the older hero’s voice. “I think we’ve all decided that he’s our little brother. Link kinda hates it, but, I dunno, there’s this urge to protect him all the time. Now that I think about it, I guess it’s there for everyone.”

“Of course you all want to keep each other safe. You’re friends. More than that, you’re brothers.”

Wind leaned against the side of the house. He mulled over what Grandma said and a soft grin graced his features. “She’s not wrong.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” After hearing Wild’s response, the sailor decided it was time to head inside. 

Wind swung the door open with a smirk on his face. He saw Grandma setting the table and Wild stirring the pot of soup. Wild set down the ladle and wiped his hands off on a towel. 

“Hey, Wind. Do you need anything?”

“Wild! Come with me! Me and Aryll have something to show you!!” 

Before Wild could even respond he was yanked out of the cottage. Wind nearly dragged him over the sandy beach as the waves splashed against the two’s feet. 

“Wind!! Slow down! What are you doing?”

“It’s a surprise! But Aryll’s helping me!”

Wild didn’t get the chance to say anymore when they came to a skidding stop. Before the two, Twilight and Hyrule calmly talked. But what stood out was the fact they were wearing flower crowns. 

Little wreaths of clementine orange and lemon yellow petals nestled in their hair. Aryll was currently fixing one for Sky, who told her about his travels. The Skyloftian looked up and waved to Wild and Wind. 

“Hi, Wild! Look what Aryll’s making us!”

Aryll beamed as Sky pointed to the flower crowns. “Aren’t they pretty? Big Brother taught me how to make them! And he learned from Medli!”

Wind eaned down to get a look at the circlets. “Are you almost done, Aryll?” The little sister nodded to her brother and pointed to a pile of flowers. “I have just enough for one more!” 

Wind pulled Wild into a sitting position. The shorter hero noticed a glazed over look on Wild’s face, but the champion quickly blinked it away. This wasn’t the first time Wild had reacted strangely when Aryll was around. Wind decided not to pry, but he always felt a pang of sympathy at the lost look on Wild’s face.

Wind guessed Aryll reminded Wild of someone. But the amnesiac probably doesn’t even remember who… 

The sailor ran his small hands run through Wild’s hair. The older teen flinched at the sudden contact but didn’t protest. Wind pulled out a hair tie and gathered up his locks. 

“Uh, Wind, what are you doing?” 

“Aryll wanted me to put your hair in a bun. She thinks it would look better with the crown.”

Wind caught the blush on the tips of Wild’s ears. He knew the champion wasn’t used to people being kind to him unless there was something in return. Heck, Wind could relate! But he’d rather go to Davy Jone’s Locker than not let Wild knew he was cared for.

Wind looped the hair on top of Wild’s head and secured it with the tie. He gently pulled at the bun to loosen it. The bun was a pretty decent size thanks to the length of Wild’s hair. The sailor tapped the do’ and giggled when it bounced. 

“There, all done! Aryll, how’re you doing?” 

“Finished!” 

Before Wild could move, Wind covered his eyes with his hands. “Ack! Now what, Wind?”

“Keep your eyes closed, Wild!” The sailor grinned as he took the final flower crown from his sister’s hands. He smirked when an idea hit him with the force of smacking into the side of Hyrule Castle. 

“Duh nuh nu nuh, dun nuh nu nuh, duh nuh nu nuh, duh nuH nU nUH, duH nUH NU NUH, DUH NUH NU NUH…”

“DUH NU NUUU!”

The other boys laughed at the familiar tune Wind sang as he placed the crown on Wild’s head. The young teen brushed Wild’s hair this way and that until the circlet was perfectly nestled around the bun. 

Wind stared at Wild and looked over his work. The orange and yellow of the petals didn’t exactly match Wild’s whole color scheme, but he did look nice. Like a forest spirit, or something fancy of the sort. Wind wasn’t sure. 

“Aryll, what do you think?” The little girl hopped over and gave Wild a good stare just like the one her brother had. With a nod, she smiled and threw her arms around Wind. 

“He looks so pretty! Everyone does! Thanks, Big Brother!” 

Wind returned the hug and squeezed his sister tight. He hoped they wouldn’t have to leave the island for a long, long time. 

“Ah, um, thank you…” The siblings let go when they heard Wild. The hero was blushing as he looked at his appearance in his Slate. The thank you was quiet, but the look in his eyes said a thousand words. 

“You’re welcome, Mr. Wild! You should wear your hair up more!” Aryll grinned and poked the bun on Wild’s head. 

The champion blushed harder and thanked the little girl again before joining the rest of his companions. Wind smiled and grabbed his Picto Box. He didn’t ask anyone to smile; he just surveyed the group in front of him. 

Hyrule had struck up a conversation with Sky, while Twilight bopped Wild’s bun. Aryll laughed at the champion’s annoyed expression, only adding to the Wild’s embarrassment. The sun had begun to set, casting the Hylians in a soft orange glow. 

The whole scene was so peaceful. In that moment, Wind wished every day could be this calm. He knew that was too much to ask for, but there was a way to make this moment last forever. 

With a snap, he took a picture of the group. Luckily for the young hero, nobody noticed. Wind grinned at the image he captured. 

Twilight and Aryll were laughing with their eyes closed, while a blush highlighted Wild’s features as he rolled his eyes. Hyrule had a twinkle in his eyes as he spoke and Sky sat with his head propped up on his hands, listening in earnest. 

“Thank you,” Wind whispered to no one in particular. His head jerked up when he heard his name being called. 

“Link! Get your sister and friends! Dinner’s ready!”

“Coming, Grandma!” 

Wind tapped Aryll’s arm and they raced back to their house. The rest of the Heroes were hot on their tail. Wind looked back and saw Wild with a content smile on his face. The taller hero noticed and happily nodded to Wind. 

This was the life. 

~  
~  
~

“I love trees as much as the other guy, but this is just crazy!”

“I’m not gonna argue with that!”

Hyrule finally convinced Wild to come explore this grotto he found. What the traveler didn’t expect was for the nonexistent trail to be so littered with stumps and pesky branches. 

The two boys got whacked in the head by the trees every couple seconds and had tripped over more roots than they could count. Hyrule really wanted to cut down some of the branches, but he didn’t like disrupting nature. 

The forest was full of life in the Hyrules he visited. There was very little wildlife in his own time. Seeing the variety of fauna and flora gave him a bit of hope that maybe one day his own home would flourish too. 

Hyrule hopped over a stump only for Wild o immediately trip on it. The brunette had to stifle his laughter as Wild huffed in annoyance. 

“Tch! This is why I burn everything in my path!” Wild kicked a tree in anger, raining pinecones down upon the boys. Hyrule knew his friend was a bit of an arsonist but he never would’ve guessed that Wild could be that destructive. 

“Um, Wild, haven’t you thought that maybe, uh, burning down the forest isn’t a very good idea?”

Wild shrugged in response. “Well, my world is so big, I guess I really never thought about it. But I’d never set fire to someplace like Rito Village or Korok Forest.”

The telltale mischevious grin spread across Wild’s face and he grabbed Hyrule by the shoulders. “You should’ve been there when I lit a bear on fire! And then I RODE IT! WHILE NAKED! I didn’t have to fight any monsters; they all ran away from me!”

If Wild wasn’t one of Hyrule companions, the traveler would’ve been terrified. Instead, he gently pried Wild’s hands off of him.

“That definitely does sound cool! But I doubt that Twilight would let you do something like that again.”

Wild winked and replied, “Twi doesn’t have to know.”

“That’s fair,” Hyrule sighed. He kept walking, swinging over a fallen tree large enough for Time to hide in. As his companion passed him, he noticed the movement of Wild’s hair. 

The champion’s golden mane swayed as he walked, the sun’s glow casting highlights in the strands. But what really stood out were the leaves stuck in Wild’s hair. There wasn’t just a handful of greens in his ponytail; no, it was more like an entire bush. 

Leaves varying from yellow to brown to green sprouted from Wild’s locks. Hyrule wondered if they were itchy, but his friend didn’t seem to care. 

An idea sprung into the brunette’s head like a surprise octorock attack. He rummaged through his pack until Hyrule found what he was looking for. 

“Hey, Wild, could I give you a hand with something?”

Wild raised an eyebrow in question but nodded. “Sure, but I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Your hair! It’s kinda messy. Aren’t those leaves bugging you?” Hyrule pointed to Wild’s head, but the champion huffed. 

“If you wanna cut my hair, the answer is no. I wish everyone would stop bugging me about that!”

Hyrule didn’t want to anger his friend; he knew how sensitive Wild could be with things like his past and stuff. The traveler calmly waved his hands, trying to ignore the slight shake in his fingers. 

“I w-wasn’t suggesting that! There’s t-this old comb I have, a-and it’s kinda broken, but i-it’s still fine. So I was w-wondering if you’d want me t-to brush the leaves out of your-r hair?”

Wild squinted at the object Hyrule held. He fiddled with his long, golden strands before sitting down on a log. 

Hyrule took that as a ‘yes,’ and sat down next to his friend. He started brushing from the ends of his hair and gradually went up. The traveler brushed the girl’s hair the same way when he was in the orphanage. 

Hyrule hummed as he worked, trying to pass the time. Wild remained silent but both boys jumped when they heard rustling in the bushes. 

Wild started to reach for his sword and Hyrule set down the comb. Before the brunette could grab his weapons, a figure sprung out of the bushes. 

A tiny creature the color of carrots sniffed at the ground. It yipped when it found what it was looking for and buried its nose in the dirt. Its paws were dirty, but its tail was tipped in white and its ears were too small for its head. The fluffy being was downright adorable. Hyrule just wished he knew what it was. 

Sheepishly, Hyrule tapped Wild on the shoulder. The other hero had started taking pictures of the animal, looking satisfied with the images. He slid the Slate back into place and turned to Hyrule. 

“Uh, what animal is that?” The green-clad hero blushed, self-conscious about his question. He never wanted to inconvenience anyone with questions, but the small forest creature was too cute. So cute that Hyrule would fight Ganon again to protect it. 

Wild looked back at the animal before grinning. “That’s a fox cub! They’re basically everywhere in my Hyrule! This little guy is a Grassland Fox. They’re pretty harmless. My foxes always run away from me and they really don’t have any good meat or fur to use. So it’s fun to just look at them!”

Hyrule set the comb down and slowly crept up to the fox. It lifted its head from the dirt and shook off its fur, sending dust through the air. But Hyrule just laughed, wiping the dirt off his face. At the sound of his voice, the cub crept closer to the Hylian. 

Carefully, Hyrule held out his hand. The animal sniffed his fingers, and for once the appendages weren’t shaking. Hyrule held his breath as the creature’s nose brushed his fingertips. 

The fox looked up at him with bright, amber eyes. Hyrule held its gaze and he felt something velvety touch his fingers. The cub licked his fingertips while Hyrule starred. 

The animal stopped and Hyrule prepared for it to leave. Instead, the baby pressed its head into his palm. The brunette’s jaw dropped and he scratched the creature’s little ears. 

“Yip,” was the only response from the fox. With that, it ran back into the woods. 

Hyrule sat there in the dirt, dumbfounded, until he heard someone clear their throat from behind. Hyrule turned and saw Wild looking at him, eyebrow quirked in question and pointed to his head.

“Okay, so that was super awesome, but are you gonna finish my hair?” Hyrule realized he had completely forgotten about Wild and rushed back to his friend’s side. 

“Hehehe, sorry ‘bout t-that! I dunno why I walked-d up to it. Maybe b-because I’ve never seen-n one before? I didn’t m-mean to forget about you!”

Wild just laughed the smaller boy off. “No worries! I get distracted by new things all the time. But I wonder why the fox was so calm? They’re never like that…”

Hyrule didn’t know why either, so he continued on with his work on Wild’s hair. Brushing out his locks helped make it easier to pick out the leaves. The foliage in the lower half of the ponytail was easier to get out than the ones on Wild’s head. Hyrule didn’t want to take apart his friend’s hair so he just tried to get the leaves he could reach. 

When enough greenery was out of the champion’s hair, the brunette grinned to himself and told the champion he was done. Wild ran his hands through his locks and grinned in thanks. 

Hyrule blushed, “it’s no problem! I hope I didn’t hurt your head at all; this is a pretty ratty old comb.”

“Nah, I’m fine! Thanks for brushing out my hair. But shouldn’t we have waited until we were done exploring before doing that?”

Hyrule was silent. Then he facepalmed so hard his nose throbbed from the force of the slap. 

“DANG IT!!”

~  
~  
~

The forest was almost completely silent, the only sound was the faint crackling of the campfire. Not a peep was heard from any of the sleeping heroes. 

Time sat on a log, resting his head against a tree. He decided to take up both second and third watch tonight. Twilight was concerned for his mentor, but most of their traveling group had recently been injured and Time knew they needed sleep more than him. 

The eldest hero ran his fingers over his ocarina, staring into space, when he heard a faint shuffling sound coming from one of the boys. Time scanned the campsite until his eyes landed on Wild. 

The champion tossed and turned, fists gripping the blankets like he was holding on for dear life. Sweat beaded on Wild’s face as a grimace spread across his scarred features. 

Time had never comforted Wild before, usually that was Twilight’s doing, but he rushed to the smaller hero’s side when a sob escaped him. 

The Hero of Time sat on his knees behind Wild, still unsure what to do. The champion wasn’t huge on physical contact, but Time wouldn’t abandon him to his nightmares. 

Time looked at his hands and nodded to himself. He removed his gloves while being as quiet as possible. 

He gently set his hand on Wild’s head. The hero immediately flinched at the contact. Time prepared to pull back when the champion pushed his head into his hand. The older hero softly smiled and slowly ran his hand through Wild’s hair. 

In a few minutes, Wild had stopped fidgeting and was sleeping peacefully again. He softly grinned as Time continued running his hand through his hair. The armored hero hummed his favorite tune to sing with Malon as Wild slept. He continued for several more minutes before he was sure that the boy wouldn’t wake up again. 

A tiny voice whispered, “thanks,” as Time stood. He glanced back and saw Wild looking up at him with hazy eyes. Time smiled and patted the hero’s head once more. 

“You’re welcome, Wild. Now go back to sleep.”

Wild sighed and muttered, “m’kay.” The hero didn’t stir the rest of the night. 

~  
~  
~

After the heat of Time’s Death Mountain, Hateno Village was a welcome change of pace. The group of traveling heroes had dispersed to unwind in the little town. 

Sky currently sat under the tree on the front of Wild’s property, content with the feeling of the sun on his face. The two construction workers were out of town, so he relaxed to the sound of the crackling fire. It was a warmer day out with a nice breeze, so the chosen hero removed his tunic and chainmail. Skyloft was always so chilly that he needed extra layers, but the weather in the village was wonderful. 

He blinked back to the world when he heard someone crossing the bridge. Sky rubbed his eyes and saw Wild swiping through his Sheikah Slate. His brows were creased as he looked for something but couldn’t seem to find it. 

The champion looked up when he noticed Sky looking at him. “Oh, hey Sky! Were you sleeping?”

The Skyloftian stood and brushed off his pants. “Nope! Just relaxing. It’s so pleasant here. You got such a nice house, too! Anyways, is something up? You look frustrated.”

Wild gave a, “huh,” in response before he realized what Sky was talking about. “Oh, it’s nothing. I just… Ah, nevermind.”

Sky tilted his head in confusion and put a gentle hand on the other’s shoulder. “You can tell me what’s up. I won’t judge, promise.”

Wild looked to the ground, thinking before he sighed and shoved the slate into Sky’s face. “My outfits! I want to do something new with my hair, but not all of my armors change my hairstyle! I’m getting tired of the ponytail but I still refuse to cut my hair. I’ll just ask Riju for some styles or something”

A slow smile spread across Sky’s face as he remembered an old skill Zelda had taught him. “Wait a minute! I can braid hair ribbons and stuff! I could do your hair!”

Wild’s mouth formed a perfect ‘o’ and he grabbed Sky by the shoulders. “If you do that I’ll be forever in your debt.”

Sky chuckled and pushed the other away carefully. “Alright, no need to get so intense. But yeah, it’s no problem! Well, aside from the fact that I don’t have any ribbons myself. Would you know where to get some?”

Wild tapped his chin in thought before he took off over the bridge again. “I think I can get some from the dye shop! Stay there! I’ll be right back!”

Sky giggled at the teen’s excitement. He stretched in place as he waited for Wild to get back. He said not to move. Sky wasn’t going to move an inch. 

A couple of minutes later, Wild sped back to his house. He wasn’t even out of breath as he grinned at the Chosen Hero. “I got a bunch of different shades and lengths! Let’s go inside!” 

Sky grinned back and followed the long-haired hero inside. Wild called to Sky from the upstairs to hurry up. 

“It’s only noon, Wild! We have the whole day!” 

“Maybe, but I need help picking the colors!”

“Oh my goddess…” 

Wild laid out all the ribbons he bought on his bedsheets. They were organized by color, and he must have had over 30. 

Sky whistled at the number of choices. “Alright, how about you eliminate the colors you don’t like? I’ll add in my opinion, if you want.”

“Sounds like a plan!” With that, Wild began sorting through the ribbons. He eliminated the blacks, reds, and purples first. “I’m not really feeling those today. Do you think I should change my clothes?”

Sky hummed in thought and shook his head. “No, I think your blue tunic and everything is fine! You wear that the most so you might want to start out with colors that match your regular look.”

“Wow Sky, you’re good at this!” Sky blushed at Wild’s compliment. He bashfully rubbed the back of his neck before speaking. 

“After we started dating, Sun began asking me questions about what to wear. I wasn’t very good at helping at first, but she has an eye for this kind of stuff. I guess I picked up on it after a while.”

By the time he was quiet, Sky had a faint blush on his cheeks. Wild smirked at the chosen hero, but there was no ill will in his expression. Sky knew he always got mushy talking about Sun, but he couldn’t help it. 

“We were kids when she taught me to braid. I used my hands for stuff like that a lot more often back then, so she figured I’d be able to learn to do it quickly. Sure enough, I picked up on braiding pretty fast and I’ve helped her do hair for years. I still do today!”

“Sky you needed to stop being a sweetheart for two seconds! You two sound adorable together! I can’t wait to meet Sun. I wonder if she’ll get along with Flora?”

“Oh, I hope so! Wouldn’t it be funny if all our Zeldas were on an adventure together like we are now?”

The two boys laughed at the thought before continuing with the ribbons. Wild had narrowed the colors down to brown, green, white, and blue. 

Wild gestured to the fabric strands. “Alright, Sky, now for the final decision. Which ones are we going with?”

Sky held a fist to his chin as he thought. He looked at Wild, then at the ribbons, then back to Wild, and then again at the ribbons. He grabbed two and held them up to the scarred hero’s face. 

“I like these ones. They match your tunic pretty well!” In his hand, Sky held one deep royal blue ribbon and a bright azure one. Wild looked at the two before he nodded. 

“I love them. Thanks, Sky!”

“Don’t thank me yet! I haven’t even started braiding your hair!”

Wild chuckled and sat down on his bed with his back turned to Sky. The chosen hero sat behind him and slipped out the hair tie. Sky parted the champion’s locks into three sections and placed the ribbons in two of them. He started to braid just as Sun taught him, trying to be extra careful so the ribbons didn’t slide out. 

Sky went about his work quietly before Wild asked in a hushed voice, “hey Sky, I got a question. You said you used to do stuff like this a lot more. What did you mean by that? I know I’m probably intruding, so you don’t have to answer.”

“No, Wild, it’s okay! If you want to know so badly, I was completely mute until I was nine. I started learning sign language at the academy before I could even walk. They always told me I was really good at signing at such a young age. Sun and I became close from the very beginning, so she was determined to learn it. I actually helped teach her! So yeah, I did a lot of signing and braiding when I was a kid. I took up woodcarving too, but you know that already.”

Sky’s hands stopped their progress for a moment as he went completely silent. “There was a terrible disease that plagued Skyloft a-around ten years ago. It k-killed about a third of the population and t-took Sun’s mother. I-I caught it and was waiting for the worst for weeks. I always felt c-cold but I was constantly sw-sweating. I could barely e-eat anything and it hurt even t-to move. E-even my hair and eyelashes f-fell out. It was like being a living h-husk.”

Sky’s voice cracked at the end. Wild could hear the tears in his voice and tried to hold back his own. It was impossible to picture Sky, who was always optimistic and carefree, lying on his deathbed. As a little boy, no less. 

“Sky, I’m so sorry I said anything. You really don’t have to continue if it-”

“N-no, Wild. It’s alright. I mean, just listen to me. I’m here t-talking to you. That little kid isn’t here right now. I’m alright. I survived and my hair and lashes grew back even fuller, surprisingly! But, what was most extraordinary, was that I was able to speak. The first time I did Sun was telling me about Mia getting stuck in a tree and I said, ‘that’s so silly, Zelda!’. I’ll never forget the look on her face. It didn’t even take me very long to learn how to talk! I’m still pretty good at Hylian Sign but I’ve gotten rusty. I used to be more fluent but now I get confused from time to time.”

Wild thought about what the chosen hero had just revealed to him. How would Sky feel if he learned the champion had purposely stopped talking when he had been denied that ability and almost lost his life to get it? Wild didn’t want to think about it, at least not when the said hero was right behind him. 

Sensing Wild’s sudden unease, Sky scooted closer to him. “Hey, are you alright, Wild? I’m really sorry if something I said upset you.”

“No, it’s not you, it’s me. I shouldn’t even be here right now.”

Worry seeped from Sky’s quiet voice as he asked, “why not?”

Wild hunched in on himself, his hands shaking as he held his arms.“I decided to stop talking when you spent half your life without being able to make a sound. And y-you nearly died to be able to speak. Wh-what about t-that is o-okay, Sky?”

The Chosen Hero was silent before Wild saw his hands slip by to grab a pearl-white ribbon. Sky’s voice was gentle as he spoke. 

“You became silent to deal with the pressure of being a hero, right? I heard you talking about it in your sleep one night on watch. There’s no shame in that. We all deal with our struggles differently. Just because I couldn’t talk doesn’t mean that your decision was unfair or anything. I’m glad that you can speak so freely with everyone now. And some days I still can’t believe I’m able to do the same.”

Wild relaxed his posture and thought about what Sky had said. Four preferred time alone to think, while Hyrule had been completely alone on both of his adventures. But the two of them were best buds. He realized what Sky had said was true for everyone in their little band of brothers. The occasionally airheaded hero was wise beyond his years. 

Sky gave a happy chirp and tapped Wild’s shoulder. “I’m done!! Take a look!” Wild grinned and pulled out his slate. He turned on the camera mode and his jaw dropped at the sight of himself. 

A full, flowing braid cascaded over his right shoulder. The contrasting blue ribbons complimented each other perfectly and matched his tunic to the exact hue. The end of the braid was tied off with the white ribbon, giving the look an elegant air. 

Wild couldn’t help it. He felt tears prickle the corners of his eyes. Sky, upon seeing this, grew concerned and waved his arms around. 

“AH! Don’t cry! Is something wrong? I can do different colors, or loosen the braid, or comb it ou-”

“Sky,” Wild beamed to the other hero, “it’s beautiful.”

The sandy-haired hero stopped his frantic sputtering and locked eyes with Wild. “You, you think so?”

Wild jumped off the bed and twirled around. “I KNOW SO! This is absolutely amazing! You really know your stuff!”

Sky blushed again before a pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders. Wild squeezed Sky in a hug, and the chosen hero immediately returned the gesture. 

“Thank you, so so so much, Sky.” 

The Skyloftian smiled into Wild’s shoulder. He was so grateful to have everyone in the weird family they had created. He would do whatever it takes to help them all find ways to smile and feel loved. 

“You’re welcome, Link.”

~  
~  
~

“Oi, get up already, flamebrain! We’re starving over here!”

Wild groaned when he heard Legend’s impatient voice wake him up. The red-tuniced hero was standing over Wild, hands on his hips. 

“Really, man? Just give me five more minutes! I’ve made breakfast every day this week!”

The champion hid under his pillow, hoping that the goddess would be nice and have the others leave him alone. Instead, the pillow was yanked off him and Wild was met with an irritated Twilight. 

“Cub, you’re the only one here who can actually make a good breakfast, so get yer hiney outta bed!”

Realizing that resistance was futile, Wild rolled out of his blankets. Everyone else was seated around the campfire and looked at him with hungry expressions. 

Wild huffed and frowned at his companions with pure disappointment. “I know it was difficult to survive before I joined but you’re all getting lazy and pathetic! It’s a good thing I like cooking or I could never make food for anyone ever again!”

Wind ran up to the taller hero and begged him to stay the group chef. “PLEASE WILD! We’ll die if you leave us to Hyrule and Sky!!”

“Would everyone please stop telling me I can’t cook!!”

“We’ll stop saying that when you actually learn how to NOT burn water.”

“Wait, I thought you guys liked my cooking?”

“Sky, we only said that so we wouldn’t hurt your feelings. It’s a good thing your girlfriend can cook or you’d be toast.”

The group continued to bicker about cooking while Wild swiped through his slate for ingredients. He noticed his hair was a horrible rat’s nest this morning. Luckily, he had picked up a little something to help manage his long locks while cooking. 

Wild fished through his pack until he found the item he needed. He bunched up his messy ponytail and stretched the object over his head. 

“Kay, I’m ready to cook! How do fried greens sound for breakfast?”

“Uh, Wild, what are you wearing?”

“It’s a hairnet. If I take it out my hair will get in the food. Though, if you all keep complaining, I think that would be an appropriate punishment for waking me up so early…”

“NO WE’RE GOOD!! KEEP IT ON!!”

“Heh, that’s what I thought.”

**Author's Note:**

> I used this fic as an opportunity to getting used to writing all the different Links. I have many MANY headcanons and I put a bunch of them in here. 
> 
> Some examples: because Hyrule can turn into a fairy, he can communicate with animals because that's an ability I think they should have, and Wild is pretty jumpy with physical contact. 
> 
> I hope everyone who read my story enjoyed it!! Thank you for reading!! Now go do something that makes you smile!!


End file.
